


Retreat Strategy

by MinterferenceProtocol (momentinsubtext)



Series: Aftermath Triad [1]
Category: Jekyll (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3996403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentinsubtext/pseuds/MinterferenceProtocol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where love can be toxic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Retreat Strategy

Tom throws his hands up when Mrs. Utterson lunges, as if that will protect him from her teeth. What he does manage is to protect his throat; she latches on to his arm, breaking skin almost immediately. He sees gray at the edges of his vision for a second, like Hyde is fighting to break free -- but Hyde is _dead_ , he reminds himself. He wrenches his arm away, ignoring the pain for the moment.  
  
She rocks back on her heels, looking a bit dazed. Drugged. Her tongue darts out to taste the blood staining her lips.  
  
"You taste like - oh. Oh, that's very clever." She cocks her head in a way Tom finds very familiar. "I almost wonder what you said to him, to inspire such _touching_ loyalty."  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says through gritted teeth.  
  
"Of course you don't." She licks her lips again. "It fizzes in your blood. I can't-" She sways on her feet and he sees it the second the transformation starts, the air around her going mirage-wobbly for just a second. He steps forward and catches his mother as she falls. "My clever, clever boys," she says, reaching up to touch her face.  
  
"What just happened?" Tom asks, easing her into a chair and backing up to put some distance between them.  
  
She waves her hand vaguely. "Mr. Hyde happened."  
  
He waits; she pulls out a handkerchief and dabs at the blood on her mouth. When she's finished, she continues.  
  
"When he died, he didn't just 'keep the damage'. as you say. He turned himself inside out. Oh, I know, I'm not making much sense. There aren't really words for this sort of thing."  
  
"Try."  
  
"He turned himself into a poison." She leans forward. "Something that affects my alter ego like a tranquilizer, apparently. She won't attack again until it's out of your system. Could be years."  
  
"He saved my life," Tom says slowly. "Again."  
  
She nods.  
  
"Damn." He scrubs his face with the heel of his hand. "I should-"  
  
"You should take your family and run," she says. "As far as you can, as fast as you can. All the way to America if you can manage it. Because once Mr. Hyde's protection clears, you want as much distance between you and her as you can get."  
  
"That's why you were so hard to track down," he guesses. "You didn't know what Hyde had done."  
  
"I didn't even know it was possible."  
  
"All right, but... I was rather under the impression she was finished with us."  
  
"Finished with the experiment, yes. But now you're... a loose end. She hates those."  
  
He sighed. "America? Really?"  
  
She nods. "That's the safest place for you."  
  
"Right." He steps back into her space. "It's safe for now, yes?"  
  
"She's sleeping. She could be out for days, for all I know."  
  
He takes her hands in his and squeezes. "Thank you."  
  
She squeezes back, then leans up and presses her lips to his forehead.  
  
After a moment, he pulls away.  
  
"Goodbye, Tom," she calls softly, as he prepares to leave.  
  
He pauses at the doorway. "Goodbye, mum."


End file.
